


Pineapple Powder Keg

by alba17, DalWriter, Emeraldawn, Goneahead, landrews, wanderlustlover



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, First Kiss, M/M, Pre-Slash, Skiing, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Volcanoes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 22:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1916139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alba17/pseuds/alba17, https://archiveofourown.org/users/DalWriter/pseuds/DalWriter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emeraldawn/pseuds/Emeraldawn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goneahead/pseuds/Goneahead, https://archiveofourown.org/users/landrews/pseuds/landrews, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderlustlover/pseuds/wanderlustlover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve takes Danny skiing on Pineapple Powder, what the natives call the snow that falls on Mauna Kea, (an actual mountain located near Volcanos National Park on the Big Island), but where the pair goes trouble follows.</p><p>Written for the Round Robin on  <a href="http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/"> 1 Million Words</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter - 1 by DalWriter

**Author's Note:**

> From emeraldawn:
> 
> So this is a *cough* seven month *cough* venture that started when DalWriter posted a "let's do a round robin!" Six writers, a lot of extensions on time, and a one awesome beta, later and we give you ~~awesome in a bottle~~ our joint fanfic! 
> 
> We picked for each person to write one chapter, so to be fair. Each chapter is credited to them. Remember to give them all love! (ok landrews did two but we needed a big finish!)
> 
> Thank you simplyn2deep for the mass beta job. It can't be easy getting six brains to sound like one.
> 
> And, as always, if you want to join the most amazing commuinty on the net, hop on over to [ 1 Million Words](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/) ! We are multi-fandom, stressless, and the coolest cats you will know. *slips on shades*

Steve pulled the Silverado to a stop in front of Danny’s current house. This rental was a meaningful step up from the hovel where Steve found his partner years ago on the way to forming the Governor’s task force. Unlike that dump, this place was clean, well maintained, spacious and in a decent neighborhood. Steve no longer felt thankful he was armed when he came to pick up Danny; he didn’t worry about Grace being here and he didn’t feel the need to wrap himself in plastic or shower after sitting on the furniture. Best of all, this house which was more like a home indicated that Danny was acclimating to life in Hawaii and would likely be staying, at least as long as Grace was here. Thankfully, Stan and Rachel didn’t seem inclined to move. 

Before Steve could honk, Danny came outside carrying a jacket and an overnight bag. Climbing up into the cab, he beamed happily at his partner. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this sooner. Snow and skiing in Hawaii. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen snow? Seasons, my friend. Anything other than 70 degrees and sunny. “ 

Shifting the truck into gear, Steve maneuvered the behemoth toward the harbor as Danny kept up a steady stream of chatter. 

“Mind you, I still don’t believe you. There can’t possibly be actual snow on this island but I’m willing to keep an open mind,” Danny babbled. 

“There is no snow on this island,” Steve assured him. 

Danny looked annoyed. Reaching into the back seat, Danny held up his coat. “You told me we were going skiing. If there’s no snow, why am I carrying around a down parka in Hawaii?” 

“There is no snow on Oahu. We’re going to Hilo,” Steve clarified. “I also said snowboarding and skiing.” 

“The Big Island, where Kilauea is? I am not going skiing on a volcano, Steve. That’s insane even for you,” Danny declared. 

“Yes, only we’re going near Mauna Loa.” Sighing because off Oahu, Danny still didn’t know his Hawaiian geography, Steve relied on logic to explain the rest. “All mountains are volcanoes; the molten rock, pushes upwards displacing the earth’s crust. Some are just more active and others dormant. All of Yellowstone National park is a giant caldera. Where do you think Old Faithful comes from?” 

Danny simply glared but didn’t interrupt the science lesson. 

“We’re not going to ski Kilauea. The lava would melt the snow, plus you’d die from all the poison sulfur gases,” Steve explained. “We’re going to Mauna Kea.” 

“Mauna Key?” Danny asked. 

“Kea, not key,” Steve corrected. “It means white mountain.” 

“Of course it does,” Danny muttered but he sat back in the passenger seat dreaming about shushing down the mountain. Despite his complaining, he was happy that they were doing something he considered seasonal for the long President’s Day weekend. It’s not like he had a Valentine, other than Grace, but he did fleetingly wonder why Catherine wasn’t Steve’s companion for the holiday. He certainly wouldn’t mind having Steve as his Valentine but he had enough self- control not to out himself to his partner. He’d just have to watch his alcohol intake if he found himself getting maudlin. The last thing he needed was to make some sloppy, drunken pass at a Navy SEAL with immunity and the means to kill him. 

In the harbor Steve drove his truck onto a large ferry, aptly named Holoholo Wa’a which loosely translated to wandering canoe. It was the latest attempt at a high speed inter-island ferry system but this one allowed passengers to take their cars. Even though it was an eight hour sail from Oahu to the Big Island with stops at the other islands along the way, the cost was comparable to two round trip tickets on one of the islands’ many local airlines but this offered the advantage of not having to rent a car once you got to your destination and it was a bit more scenic. The sail became part of the adventure instead of just a means to get to the next island. 

About an hour into their journey, the boys found themselves an empty table and dug into the hero sandwiches Steve brought along as sustenance. Alcohol wasn’t allowed on the ferry so they made due with bottled water and left the Longboards in the big cooler in the bed of Steve’s truck. The plan was for them to have dinner at their destination, then hit the slopes first thing in the morning. 

“This isn’t like the skiing you’re used to,” Steve cautioned. 

Waving Steve’s concerns away, Danny assured his partner, “Skiing is skiing.” 

“There’s no trails or concession stands. There’s not even a chair lift,” Steve began. 

“Don’t tell me we have to walk to the top of the mountain,” Danny griped. 

“No, but that’s why we’re taking the truck. The skiers take turns,” Steve offered. 

“Turns? Take turns doing what?” Danny asked. 

“There’s a road of sorts that runs up the mountain. You drive up in four wheel drive, then ski down. Everybody takes a turn being the driver,” Steve explained. 

“So we can’t ski together?” Danny sounded disappointed. 

“Well, I usually try to find other people to split the driving. . . more skiing, less driving plus less wear and tear on the truck. I used to be able to fit about 6 or 8 people in the truck bed.” 

“Okay,” Danny shrugged. He still didn’t completely understand what skiing in Hawaii was going to be like, but he was willing to try it. Chin had assure him it was fun. Then again, the only place Chin had ever been besides Hawaii was Los Angeles so he didn’t have a basis for comparison. 

“It’s not like other places you have skied. The snow runs out and you are on lava rock. There’s no soft grass underneath if you fall. There’s lava rock,” Steve elaborated on his earlier warning that skiing in Hawaii was not like skiing on the mainland. This was an extreme sport which should only be undertaken by the heartiest of athletes. 

“I get it, babe,” Danny assured him. “When I wipe out, it’s gonna hurt.” 

“The air is also different,” Steve started. 

Frowning because now Steve was treating him like an idiot. “Of course it is. It’s a mountain. Duh.” 

Steve returned the frown, especially at Danny’s dismissal of his concerns. 

“It’s not like we’re climbing Everest. I have been to the Rockies not to mention all the trails in Vermont. The air is thinner up there, I get it,” Danny reminded Steve that he was actually the more experienced skier. 

“Yeah, but you haven’t skied any of those since you were exposed to Sarin,” Steve countered, remembering that harrowing day when Danny almost died from the toxic gas. “We don’t know what long term effects that had on your lungs.” 

“You’re like a mother hen, sometimes. You know that?” Danny whined. “I’ll be fine. Stop worrying. That’s my job anyway. If the skiing sucks, maybe we can just have a good old fashioned snow ball fight.” 

“Pineapple powder isn’t really good for that,” Steve lamented. 

“And what, pray-tell do you know about good snowball making?” Danny teased, muttering, “freakin’ pineapples,” under his breath. He wasn’t happy that pineapples even managed to ruin snow in Hawaii. 

“I did go to school on the East coast,” Steve answered, ignoring the pineapple crack. 

“Maryland –the mid-Atlantic region – is not exactly the snow capital of the world,” Danny taunted. 

“Maybe not but neither is New Jersey,” Steve retorted. 

“Still better than Maryland.” 

Not willing to concede that Danny had more experience when it came to snow, Steve played his trump card, “I have been other places all over the world with all sorts of weather. SEALs are acclimated to every climate.” 

Laughing, Danny admitted, “That must have been a sight to see, a SEAL snowball fight in the middle of some classified mission.” 

Chuckling at the memory, Steve said in all seriousness, “Before or after, never during the mission.” 

“Of course not,” Danny agreed sarcastically. Heaven forbid anyone disparage Steve’s precious Navy. Changing the subject, Danny asked, “So where are we staying?” 

“Volcano village,” Steve replied. 

Rolling his eyes, Danny responded, “Of course we are.” 

“What?” Steve demanded. “I got us a nice villa, about 10 miles from the summit. It has a view of the ocean and the mountains, a big deck and a great kitchen. We can grab some supplies when we dock and we’ll be all set.” 

Danny didn’t look placated. 

“I think there’s even a hot tub,” Steve promised. 

“I didn’t pack a suit,” Danny grumbled. 

After briefly letting his eyes flick over Danny’s torso visible above the table and barely encased in the tight t-shirt he was wearing, Steve replied, “Doesn’t matter. Neither did I.” 

The fact that the wind on deck was making Danny’s nipples hard due to the relative cold did not go unnoticed by Steve. 

Danny didn’t let his mind dwell too much on the fact that even knowing that villa had a hot tub the man across from him who was practically part fish didn’t pack a bathing suit. Images of a naked Steve stepping into a hot tub jumped unbidden into Danny’s mind even as he tried to banish them and hide the physical reactions those thoughts were causing. 

A few hours later, the ferry finally docked at their destination. Both men had reclined the bucket seats in Steve’s truck and napped during part of the journey. Danny was ready to be off the boat. The ride from Maui had been a bit rocky and he was feeling a little sea sick, not that he would admit weakness in front of super-SEAL. 

Before the gates were lifted and the cars were allowed to drive off the vessel, an official looking ranger boarded the ferry with a bull horn. “Good evening and welcome to the Big Island. For those of you intending to go to Volcanoes National Park please check in with the ranger station here at the beach before you drive farther onto the island. There has been increasing seismic activity noted at both the base and summit of Kilauea so the National Parks Service, the National Geological Association, NOAA and the Hawaii Volcanoes Institute are mandating that all visitors be issued special transmitters so that we can find you in the event of a cataclysmic event.” 

Glaring at Steve, Danny complained, “What have you gotten me into now?” 

As they continued their familiar banter, neither paid a great deal of attention to the two overdressed Japanese men who walked off the ferry and got into the beat-up Ford Explorer being driven by a heavyset Hawaiian man. Unbeknownst to the off-duty members of 5-0, the big man was local muscle for the Yakuza. Fortunately, as part of his promise to document his first trip to Hilo for Grace, Danny managed to capture the car and its three occupants in a few frames of the photos he was candidly snapping with his cell phone in between selfies of him and Steve.


	2. Chapter 2 - by  witchyemerald

For a villa located on the side of a, now quite active, volcano, the place was surprisingly nice. It was the kind of place you would spend your honeymoon at, if you wanted space and beautiful scenery, coupled with the possibility that you might have to prove you can run faster than lava flowing in a downward motion. 

Yes, Danny _knew_ Steve didn’t plan on the volcano posing as a helpless mountain to be showing _increasing seismic activity_ , but the man had a big trouble magnet surgically placed inside his body at some point in his life. Danny was sure of it. 

Pulling the truck up to the villa, Danny could see that the place was isolated enough where the neighbors wouldn't bug them with their noise, but close enough where they could walk down the paved one lane road, to the restaurant and little general store where they checked in. 

“Danny, why don’t you put our bags in the bedroom while I’ll unload the supplies in the kitchen?” Steve opened the truck door, pocketing the keys. Danny’s eyes followed the movement, watching as Steve’s hand released the keys into the pocket of his cargos and closed it in one swift, practised movement. Steve always did everything with exercised motions. An innocent observation that lead Danny’s thoughts down a unsafe path, wondering what else Steve did with precision and skill. 

Gathering the bags and jackets, Danny grabbed the keys to the villa from the cupholder where Steve had dropped them. Danny took a couple of deep breaths walking to the door. There were a lack of trees and no pine smell on Mauna Kea and that was something Danny was going to have to get used to. It had been a long time since he had gotten to smell pine trees, but he’d doubted he’d ever not associate them with the wilderness and skiing.

Leaving the door open for Steve, Danny took the bags into the bedroom. Steve already told them they’d be sharing. _One room, double beds Danny._ Only it wasn’t double beds he found, but a king sized monstrosity taking up three-fourths of the room. 

Dropping the baggage on the bed, Danny did an about face and walked out the living space, “Steven, you might want to take a look at this.”

Steve looked up from where he put the cooler down, one eyebrow raised in concern, “Something wrong, Danno?”

“Oh you could say that.” Danny inclined his head back to the room, behind him.

Walking across the living space, Steve brushed past Danny, their shoulders connecting slightly, “This is not what I asked for.”

Steve sounded angry. Shocked? Either way, the tone caused a slight, brief pain in Danny’s chest, so quick Danny might have not known it was there. 

“I reserved a room with double beds. I swear, Danny.” 

“It’s fine, Steve. Go and give the office a call,” Danny waved him away going to the small breakfast bar in their kitchen, where Steve had tossed the information brochures they picked up at the ranger station. 

One was about the transmitters the rangers had them sign out when they got off the ferry. Danny put the info aside, hearing how they worked when he clipped the pager like transmitter on his belt, and reached for the fliers on what to do around the area instead. One was on dining, including a little blurb on the small restaurant he saw near the office where they checked in. Another was on hiking trails, and the local plant and wildlife you might see on the trails. He could see Steve needing such information, but Danny was sure he didn’t pick it up. Flipping open one that caught Danny’s eye, he read about the star observation telescopes to the sound of Steve talking through clinched teeth at the poor person on the phone. 

“No, two beds. ” Steve paced the floor from the corner of Danny’s eye. “What? Are you sure? Fine, Thank you”

Ending his call, Steve pocketed his phone, “Well, I guess we are staying here. There are no free double bed villas open.”

“No free villas.” Danny echoed him.

“I guess the person the took my reservation was new, and she didn’t save us a two bed villa. Now everything is rented out with it being a long weekend.” 

“Okay, Steve, it’s not the end of the world, unless they lied to us, and this mountain is about to blow. In that case we have greater problems than the reservation lady not knowing how to do her job.” Danny pointed to the small couch in the living space, for sitting in front of the fireplace, “We have a couch. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable, but I am sure you have to slept on worst.”

Steve was halfway through a nod, when Danny’s words sunk in, “Wait. Why how come I’m sleeping on the couch?”

“So who’s up for dinner?” Danny walked into the bedroom with a smirk, “I’ll just get cleaned up.”

They decided to walk down to the little restaurant for dinner. The night was clear and a little colder than Danny had been in since he moved to Hawaii. Adding a windbreaker to his outfit worked out fine to keep out any chill. 

The walk took them about twenty minutes to get down the hill using the paved walking trail, and the pair filled the time bantering about who should sleep on the couch. Danny thought that he had more valid points: Steve invited him on this trip; Steve was use to sleeping in horrible places; it’s what the Navy trained him for. But then Steve would go back to his old side by: Danny was shorter. 

“A hamburger sounds so good right now,” Danny said looking at Steve, as he reached for the door handle. The bar slipped past his fingers as the door opened outward, and a large Hawaiian man ran into Danny as he exited the restaurant. The clash sent Danny tripping backwards, and he would have fallen on his butt if Steve didn’t grab him.

The man didn’t even pause to apologize, walking to his car at a quick clip. 

“Well excuse you, asshole,” Danny muttered, as Steve and him watch the man drive off, turning left on the road that went up montain. “What lovely manners his mother taught him.”

Steve put a hand on Danny’s shoulder turning him so Steve could see his face, “You okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve been through worse on a normal day at work with you. Now come on, burgers await.”

“They have a good one here,” Steve held the door opened, “it has pineapple-”

“Absolutely not. Pineapple should be no where near pizza or hamburgers. What is wrong with you people?”


	3. Chapter 3 by landrews

They walked into silence and stared back at the six customers who all turned to the door. After a moment of waiting to see what might happen next, everyone went back to talking and eating at once. Danny followed Steve to the low counter that separated the dining area from the open kitchen.

The wide face of the older woman standing there lit up, a beatific smile completely transforming her former stony countenance. "Stevie! It's taken you long enough to come see us! That task force keep you so busy there's no time for old friends?"

Steve reached out with both hands to clasp hers. "I'm sorry, Mona."

Danny's eyebrows rose on their own. He schooled his features back to neutral.

"I'm sorry about John, keiki. And about your troubles with that governor. We were worried for you."

"Thank you. Now that I'm settled, I'll try to check in more often." Steve assured her. 

"You better." She squeezed his hands and let go to wave one of hers at Danny. "Now who is this?"

Steve grinned. "This is my partner-"

"Danny Williams," she said with satisfaction. "We've read about you, too. Look at that board over there." She jutted her chin to a community board to Danny's right on the wall near the cash register.

A clipped front page article about a recent Five-O drug bust filled the lower left hand corner. It featured a large photo of Steve watching Danny as, hands waving, he spoke to Chin. Danny had clipped it himself. The soft content filling Steve's eyes and face once again made his belly dip and twist.

Steve cleared his throat. "Who was that leaving when we came in?"

"Local asshole. Thought it took too long to get his client's takeout," she said, using air quotes around the word 'client'.

"Tour guide?" Danny said.

She wrinkled her nose. "Hired help. What can I get you boys?"

Steve took the hint and moved on. "Still making pineapple relish?"

"Of course, keiki! Two all the way?"

Danny held up his hands. "No, no, no. Count me out on the pineapple."

"It's our trademark burger."

Danny shook his head. "That's just wrong."

Mona laughed. "Poor keiki," she said, patting Steve's hand.

"I know, right?" Steve agreed.

"Can I get a Longboard?"

"I don't know, can you?" she said, tilting her head at the cooler at the back of the dining area.

Danny narrowed his eyes at her.

Steve clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Make it two, Mona," he said tossed back as he steered Danny away, Mona's cackling chuckle following them.

After they sat at table for two out of the way on the back wall, Steve explained Mona had lived on Piikoi Street before her husband died. "I knew her son Amuka, but we weren't close friends until the summer before my Mom d-" His tongue faltered and his expression tightened. "Left." The corner of his lip quirked up.

"It's weird, isn't it," Danny muttered.

"It is." Steve took a long swallow of his beer. "Anyway, Muke and I were attached to the hip that summer."

"He was your first boy crush," Danny teased him.

Steve gave him a slow, amused smile. Danny stilled, looking back at him.

"Burgers," Mona chirped, elbowing in between them as she set their plates down. Danny sat back to give her room.

Steve filched a fry before she was done fussing and spoke with his mouth full. "Where's Muke these days, Mona?"

"Right here, Stevie. Maybe you'll go see him. He's a translator at the observatory and a first responder for the mountain. He's on site all weekend."

Steve glanced at Danny and away. "Maybe we will."

The burgers were outstanding and led to a reminiscence of all the great burgers they'd ever eaten.

"Goat, Steven? Really?"

"With jalapenos. In Iraq." He laughed. "I was the only one who didn't get sick. I went back the next day and had another."

"You're a crazy fucker, McGarrett."

"I won the pool," he said, smug. "Eighty dollars and two pairs of new socks."

Despite his distaste, Danny couldn't look away as Steve finished up his dinner by plucking bits of dropped pineapple from his plate and popping them into his mouth between sips of his second beer as he talked about... something. Danny's phone vibrated and he dug it out of his pocket.

_Is there really snow?_ , Grace texted.

"Is that Grace?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Danny said. _IDK. I'll send you a pic from the mountain tomorrow._

"Send her a picture from the ferry," Steve said.

Danny swiped through the pictures he took. Stopping on one of the ferry dock and parking lot beyond, he saw a familiar shape opening the rear door of an ancient Ford Explorer for two Asian men dressed to the nines.

_OK. Did you fly?_

"Is this the guy that left here in a hurry?" Danny held the phone up for Steve to see.

Steve took the phone to look at it closer. "It is." He spread his fingers across the screen and frowned at the resulting enlargement.

"What?"

"Nothing," Steve said, handing the phone back.

"That look is obviously 'something'." Danny busied himself sending a picture of him and Steve off to Grace. They were looking up at his camera phone in the parking lot with the ferry behind them.

"Probably nothing."

Danny tapped in a short text about the crossing.

"I don't want to borrow trouble," Steve continued. "I just want to have a great weekend."

Looking up, Danny snorted. "Why borrow trouble when you know trouble always finds you?"

Steve grinned and drained his longboard. Danny texted with Grace for a few more minutes before wishing her sweet dreams. The restaurant was busier as they left, a small line waiting for tables to open up. Danny paid for the meal as Steve caught Mona between tables to say goodbye.

On the walk back to the villa, they renewed the argument over their sleeping arrangements.

At the villa, Steve left Danny out on the patio after pointing up at the sky and then flicking off the outside lights as he went in. There were about a billion stars in the sky. The bordering-on-cold night breeze licked Danny's face. He shivered. Surrounded by abundant foliage, they might be all alone, save the occasional snatches of laughter, voices, and music that drifted from the surrounding villas. 

Steve let the screen door flap closed behind him and handed him a beer. "Visibility is even better at the summit. The observatories house the world's biggest telescopes."

"Grace did a project on them for school."

They sat outside in companionable silence for a long time.

***

Sighing, Steve turned over again.

"Hey, Super Seal," Danny said.

Steve rolled his eyes and lifted his head from the pillow he'd wadded against one arm of the couch.

In loose shorts and a faded red tee, his hair finger smoothed, Danny stood in the bedroom doorway, back against the frame, his arms crossed. "We're grown adults, I think we can manage to share this massive bed without killing each other."

Steve let his head fall back and took another deep breath. He wasn't sure he could actually manage not to end up in Danny's space if they did that. But after just a couple of hours, his back was kinked and his knees hurt. He sat up.

Headlights strafed the windows and the rumble of a passing car shifted as it turned onto their short approach. Danny crossed the room as Steve untangled himself from the spare blanket and stood. The driver pulled in next to Steve's truck and cut the engine. Steve slid his gun from the end table drawer, but remained near the couch.

Danny glanced back at him and Steve nodded as the driver walked to the door. Danny flicked the outside lights on and pulled the door open. A sheriff's deputy stumbled to a halt, raising one hand to block the sudden glare. Early-twenties. Dark hair. Six foot easy, maybe 175.

"Can I help you?" Danny growled.

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Commander McGarrett and Detective Danny Williams of Five-0?" His nervous tone betrayed his inexperience, but he was shaking with excitement, too.

Steve held his ground and his two handed grip.

After a moment of consideration, during which Steve knew Danny was considering all their options and their consequences, Danny said, "I'm Detective Williams."

"Um, my boss noticed your names when we were canvassing arrivals. We have a bit of a situation at Mauna Kea?"

"What kind of a situation?" Danny asked.

"We're not sure. Three men entered an area restricted to the Chinese delegation. There was some sort of altercation. When Security entered, shots were fired. Our translator is among the hostages, but there's at least two different languages being spoken."

A terrible hole yawned in Steve's gut. "Who's your translator?" His voice scraped out, low and dangerous sounding even to his own ears.

The deputy startled and looked past Danny as if he hadn't realized there was a man with a gun in the room. Danny sighed and stepped back, gesturing at the rookie to come in.

"Who is it," Steve barked.

"The only translator on the island, Amuka Mahelona."


	4. Chapter 4 - Wanderlustlover

The rookie had meant to step in, but between the voice of the man with the gun, and the gun in his hands, he hadn’t gotten much closer to the inward steps Danny had gestured for him to come. In fact he was nervously looking fast between Danny and Steve at that point.

“Have you called for anymore back-up yet?” Danny demanded, while waving at Steve to put down his gun and stop scaring the kid, since he was one of them.

“Who’s over there on the scene right now?” Steve joined in right after Danny, as he was clicking his safety back on and holding his gun loose in his hand, since it wasn’t like he could tuck it into the back of the long running shorts he was sleeping in.

“There are really only a few of us out here,” the rookie replied, nervous and fast, only seeming to relax marginally after Steve’s safety was clicked back. “My boss is out there right now, Sheriff Kekoa. He said to come get you and see if you would help.”

“He’s out there alone?” Danny snapped suddenly, eyebrows going up.

“Like I said, there’s only so many of us, and we thought—”

“We’re coming,” Steve cut him off. “Give us a minute to get dressed and we’ll meet you outside.”

The kid nodded, backing up toward the door at his side. Steve barrelled across the room, pulling on clothes about as fast as Danny was certain he’d only really seen Steve pull them off, which was not a thought Danny’s body needed in the middle of the night, while racing from the adrenaline of the last two minutes.

He focused on pulling on his own clothes, even if that consisted of the pants and shirt he’d had on earlier that day. They were the closest and the people’s lives as stake were a lot more important than finding a cleaner shirt or a pair of unworn slacks.

Steve was pulling his boots on, most of the way without undoing the laces, just shoving his feet in them. 

Needing to break the silence, Danny asked hopefully, “You didn’t happen to pack the tact vest under everything in the truck did you?”

“Funny,” Steve shot back grimly, but there was a faint pass of something almost like a curve to his mouth -- not a smile, but almost like the ghost of one. It was like he appreciated the irony in the idea of packing it for the holiday weekend. “Ready?”

Danny made sure he’d grabbed his badge his gun. As long as he had those, socks, and jackets. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” He started walking to the door, glancing over to add, “See I told you trouble would follow you. Even up on a godforsaken pineapple mountain, it found you.”

Steve was halfway to rolling his eyes, even tight lipped and serious looking. The door opened on the kid, standing in his doorway, talking on a radio, cord dragging all the way down into the middle of his car. “Yes, sir. They’re coming out now. We’ll be headed back that way shortly.”

The radio went down as he tipped his head and asked over the door. “If you two want to just jump in the—“

“We’ll follow you,” Steve said, jerked a thumb toward his truck, as he was already headed toward it. It was big enough for rough terrain and he’d rather have it at his disposal if he could.

It wasn’t a very long drive, even in the pitch dark of night, but it left Steve scanning the area, watching for signs of anything or anyone heading away from the direction they were plowing toward. Both men were suspicious already when they stopped a good distance short of anything that looked like another building. There were no lights or signs of life anywhere, which paid off. The moment the squad car [SUV] in front of him rolled to a stop, pulling off by some trees, the young deputy was popping out of his car, waving a hand for them to pull in near him while he jogged over toward the Silverado. Steve rolled down the window, even as a hand was already ready to go for the open door.

“Keoka just called in again,” the kid explained, a little out of breath, hand catching on the top of the window opening, to lean in toward them. “There were more shots fired. He thinks there are possible wounded now. The hostage count is still unknown, but he wants us approach with caution and come in without lights. He doesn’t want them to get spooked into killing any more people.“

The ‘if they had’ rang clear enough in the air, and Steve was nodding as he hit the button to close the window.

“The delegate area is about three minutes that way on foot,” the young deputy pointed past the curve in the round ahead of all of them.

“How do you want to handle this?” Danny voice broke through the darkness, even as both of them were going for their door handles and opening them into the otherwise silent night.

Steve closed his door. Over the hood of the truck, loud enough to be heard, but lower than his normal speaking voice, “You take the front – and the kid,” that part with a nod toward the deputy getting whatever he needed from the car. “—and I’ll take the back. Meet you in the middle, like normal.” As he confirmed their plan, Steve pulled out his gun and clicked the safety off of it again, advancing toward the scene. 

“Try not to get killed while upping your number of heroic vacation actions, okay?” Danny admonished, trying to infuse an insult and a reminder into one. They fell in step for a moment, but Steve faded into the lush foliage as Danny headed toward the other car.

Before he completely disappeared into the jungle Steve assured his partner, “I’ve handled worse on vacation before. ” Before Danny could retort, he tossed him a crooked, mocking, but still too tight smile, and headed for the wooded area at a jog. “See you in a few!” 

Holding one finger to his lips in the universal sign for quiet, Danny gestured at the young Deputy to follow him. He only hoped that the kid wasn’t so green that he’d end up getting them all killed.


	5. Chapter 5 by alba17

Steve plunged into the trees, his SEAL-honed instincts forging a path through the dark vegetation. In mission mode, his ears pricked up for the smallest sound; his eyes roved constantly and his sense of smell sharpened. At this time of night, even the birds were silent and his footsteps seemed unnaturally loud. The sky glowed with moonlight that occasionally leaked through the canopy of leaves. The world transformed into a kaleidoscopic pattern of threat and non-threat, every sensation processed and evaluated for enemy potential.

It was almost comforting to fall back into mission mode. When Danny had invited him into the bed back at the villa, a welter of confused emotions arose. It was always a challenge to suppress the intense feelings he had for his partner and having Danny so close made it much more difficult. 

But for now he could focus on a defined goal: saving Muke.

He steeled his resolve and pressed on. If anything happened to Muke on Steve’s watch...he couldn’t bear the thought. There was no way in hell he could ever tell Mona her son was injured or dead, especially when he could prevent it.

The woods brightened and he sensed he was coming to the end of the trees. As he neared the open stretch of road up the mountain, he stayed to the shadows. A pickup truck screeched toward him on its way to the peak, its wheels spewing dust. Three men were in the back of the truck, two of them holding down the third: Muke. Steve would recognize his build anywhere, the shape of his head and the way he held himself proudly, like an Hawaiian king. Muke was struggling and the three seemed to be locked in a battle as the truck careened up the road, wheels bumping on the rough surface.

Steve’s chest clenched. _Muke_. Memories flooded his mind, a glimpse of Muke, gangling and skinny, his hair freshly shaved, water dripping down his bare chest as he emerged from the surf with a beaming smile. Before Steve even knew what he was doing, he burst out of the wooded area, wanting desperately to run full blast after the truck and shoot off all his ammunition to stop it, but knowing that would be stupid as hell. As the truck sped away, he ran along the edge of the trees, bent over at the waist, his gun ready at his side. 

The truck rounded a curve out of sight and Steve began to run flat out, arms pumping. He lengthened his stride and ignored the burning in his thighs. He had to catch them. Who knew where Danny and the deputy were - this could be their only chance. The truck came into view again. Steve stopped and carefully aimed his gun at the rear right tire and fired. The shot rang out in the quiet night. Bingo. The tire popped and the truck careened around like a three-legged dog. Now he had the attention of the men in the back of the truck. The vehicle thumped along more slowly, but still too fast for Steve to catch up. As it disappeared once again, Steve’s heart sank. 

At that moment, another vehicle roared up the mountain behind him: a black SUV with a government logo on the door. Danny waved at him from the passenger seat as the SUV came to a stop. Steve scrambled into the back seat. “I shot out one of the back tires,” he said. “There are two men and a driver. They’ve got Muke.” 

“We saw the truck pass and ran back to get in the SUV,” Danny explained. “Go, go, go,” he said to the young deputy, whose name was Jack, Danny informed Steve. Jack immediately put pedal to the metal and gunned after the pick up truck. As they swung around the bend in the road, the truck came into view. It had almost reached the summit.

At this altitude, there were no trees or bushes to interfere with the line of sight. They were so high up that the landscape was spare and alpine, a surreal contrast to the tropical paradise below.

“Quick!” Danny said to Jack as the pickup truck continued its haphazard getaway. 

Their prey screamed to a stop in front of a small building at the summit, perhaps one of the observatories. The driver hopped out and yelled at the other men in Japanese, confirming Steve’s identification of the Yakuza enforcer he thought he recognized in the photo from the ferry. They manhandled Muke out of the back of the truck and toward the building in an awkward three-man dance. One of them shot open the locked door with a gun and disappeared inside.

“What are they doing?” Steve said. “What’s in there?” he asked the young deputy.

“We keep ski equipment in there, just in case.”

“Seriously?” Danny said. “Police have ski equipment in Hawaii?”

The young officer looked sheepish. “It’s more for fun than anything else. Our commander’s from Colorado,” he explained as he parked the SUV not far from the disabled truck. Steve jumped out and ran toward the building, gun in hand. Danny yelled after him, “Wait!” He sighed. “So much for having a plan.”

Steve slowed down at the open door and plastered himself against the wall, gun at the ready. He gestured to Danny and Jack to take the other side of the door. Danny nodded and they got in position. On Steve’s signal, they silently moved inside. 

The first room was clear, but noises came from the room beyond.

“What’s in there?” Steve whispered to Jack. 

“The ski equipment,” the deputy replied.

Steve had a sinking feeling. They slowly sidled toward the next door, legs bent and arms held out with guns ready. Steve held his arm out to indicate that they should wait to enter. He could hear Japanese being spoken, the sound of metal doors opening and the rustling of clothing. 

“They’re planning something, I can’t quite tell what,” Steve whispered. He brought his hand down and they burst into the room. The Yakuza were escaping out another door that faced the slope, one pushing the Chinese delegate in front of him at gunpoint, the other two pulling a struggling Muke along with them, while awkwardly clutching pairs of skis. Muke caught Steve’s eye briefly before they ran out into the night, leaving shoes littering the floor. Steve gulped.

It had been awhile since he’d skied, but they’d covered it in his SEAL training and it was kind of like riding a bike, your muscles didn’t forget. He grabbed a pair of skis and boots. “You guys get some skis and boots. We can’t let them get away. They’re going to ski down the mountain.”


	6. Chapter 6 by Goneahead

The deputy looked even more nervous.

"No, I'll go." Danny grabbed skis and a pair of boots, and jerked his head towards the door, "What we need you to do is get the sheriff on the radio, tell him to gather anyone available, and block off the trails."

"OK." The deputy looked relieved, confirming Danny's suspicions the kid probably wasn't much of a skier. "There's also a couple of deputies stationed further down. We can do a, uh, kind of road block thing."

"Good, go." Danny didn't have a chance to see if Jack was actually going to follow his instructions because Steve was already barreling out the door. He swore half-under his breath and followed. For once, though, he had the jump on Steve--he had years of experience of grabbing whatever ski equipment was available and making it work. While Steve was still clamboring into his boots, Danny was already strapping his boots to the skis. He sacrificed one quick second to eye the terrain, took a deep breath and then pushed off.

He understood now why Steve had gone on and on about Mauna Kea not being 'normal' skiing--the first sliver of sun was just cracking over the horizon, and the snow was so hard, it was difficult to carve an edge. The air was also thin, so thin that he could feel his lungs straining, working overtime to drag in oxygen.

He'd skied in a lot worse though. A _lot_ worse. Until his family bought the little ski cabin up in Banff, they'd often spent their holidays at Glenwood Acres, which was a place notorious for boilerplate--which was slang for snow that was one step away from turning into solid ice  
.  
The mountain was also eerily beautiful. He and Steve were above the tree line, and there was nothing up here but the rolling white of untouched snow; endless pristine slopes that he was itching to explore. In fact, under other conditions, Danny would have been ecstatic to find skiing that actually offered him a challenge, but right now he had to catch some criminals--and rescue Steve's friend.

He did a quick glance over his shoulder, saw Steve was a good hundred yards behind him and struggling to find his rhythm with the icy snow. So much for Steve's usual mastery of anything physical.

Danny slung his poles in deeper, picking up speed as he got more and more familiar with the flex of his skis. He scanned the terrain, saw his opportunity was coming up. The scumbags' tracks were easy enough to follow, but they were also taking the easiest route down the slopes

The rocky mountain face was about to cut away to his right. If he swung wide and got some momentum, he could jump off that distant outcrop of lava. He could grab some air and cut the trail, get ahead of the kidnappers--

_If_ his knee held.

Danny glanced over his shoulder again, but Steve was still a good seventy yards back.

OK, it was up to him.

He dug his poles in, leaning into the slope, picking up even more speed as he slid sideways. He hit the rock outcropping, and managed to lean back just in the nick of time--and then everything clicked. He caught air, automatically extending his body to get lift, and landed just right. Snapped his feet down, bringing the back of his skis down so he didn't over-rotate. A sharp pain lanced through his bad knee as he hit the hard-packed snow, but he ignored it, and shot forward. He cut left sharply, zipped down the trail, and then began leaning against the slope to slow himself down.

He wound up exactly where he intended, dropped his poles, hastily undid the bindings. His knee was protesting the weight of the boot, but he forced himself to move anyway, scrambling to get in position because he had only seconds to spare. He pulled his gun and waited.

The three perps skied into view a moment later. He steadied his aim and yelled, "Freeze! Hawaii 5-0! You're under arrest!!"

The Chinese hostage skidded sideways, taking out the man directly behind him. The big Hawaiian man that ran into him at the restaurant stared at Danny gape-jawed as he snowplowed closer, while the bad guy carrying Muke's unconscious form tried to stop, but lost control. He went down in a sideways cartwheel of legs and skis--and immediately took out his snow-plowing buddy. All three men tumbled down the slope, and Muke must've been playing possum, because he tucked and rolled, landing safely behind a jutting piece of rock.

That's when Steve appeared, slaloming fast around a corner. He stuck his poles into the snow and slowed, looking at shock at the four men entangled in their skis. Then he raised his eyes, and gave Danny an appraising look.

Danny's knee was really starting to throb now, but not enough to stop him from savoring the moment. He grinned, and waved his gun at the thugs flailing around on the ground. "Book 'em, Steve."

It turned out Steve had zipties in the pockets of his cargo pants--a fact which didn't surprise Danny has much as it should've. They secured the kidnappers, then Steve, being Steve, began interrogating the Chinese delegate in fluent Mandarin.

Danny left him to it and limped over to check on Muke. The guy looked like crap--he was pale and he had a black eye, and an ugly cut over one eye that was oozing blood.

"All right," Danny said, dropping down beside him on the snow, "let's take a look at you. How many fingers am I holding up?"

"I'm good, brah." Muke gave him a thumbs up, accompanied by a rather wobbly smile, "’sides, now I can tell my kids I got rescued by Hawaii 5-0. How'd you get down here so fast?"

"My dad used to be a speed skier--he even held the record at his college. He kept hoping if he dragged us to enough ski slopes, one of us would eventually follow in his footsteps." Danny shrugged, "The only one to come close was my oldest sister, and that was only after she switched to snowboarding."

"We need to contact the sheriff." Steve walked up, jerked his thumb towards the trussed up thugs. "The Chinese delegate has a gambling problem; he owes their boss a lot of money."

Danny threw his hands out at the sheer _unfairness_ of it all, "So--let me get this straight. I finally get to take a vacation--my first _real_ vacation in three months--and these thugs ruined it because of a _gambling_ debt. This? Is why I hate Hawaii. This never used to happen to me back in New Jersey."


	7. Chapter 7 by  landrews

The paperwork took until noon to complete. Danny helped the sheriff choose and fill out the proper forms and formal requests that he had learned would result in the speediest response from the federal agencies most interested in their Yakuza catch. They also found a way to transfer the native enforcer through 5-0 into HPD’s hands within the day, removing him from the easy reach of his Ohana on the Big Island.

Six stitches now gracing his forehead, Muke met them at his mother’s for burgers and beer. The conversation was stilted at first until they gradually shook off the trauma of their day and fell into easy laughter as Steve and Muke entertained Danny with stories from their eventful summer together. 

Muke set his third beer down and eyed Danny. “So, brah, your shoulders are starting to bunch up every time you move. How bad’s that knee?”

Danny ignored Steve’s sharp glance and shrugged. “Needs ice.”

“Let me see it.”

“Let him take a look, Danny,” Steve said in his bossy voice.

“I wasn’t going to refuse, Neanderthal,” Danny bit back. He frowned when Muke and Steve shared a look and grinned like lunatics at each other. “Hey, what are you…nevermind. You’re both assholes.”

Muke laughed. “Here, brah,” he said, standing and pulling his chair around for Danny to prop his leg on. His hands were warm and his touch firm and knowledgable. “Not your ACL, but no more skiing for you this trip. You got painkillers?”

Danny hated packing them, but he wasn’t stupid, so he had packed them. “Yeah, I do,” he admitted. For some reason, his gaze drifted to Steve, who was watching him from under his lashes, but nodded in approval when their eyes met.

Muke stood up. “I’ve got to get back to the observatory, make sure everyone’s settled. I’ll get you ice from the cooler. Maybe we can hook up again before you guys head out.”

***

Holding a bag of ice in one hand, his pants leg shoved up above another taped securely to his knee, Danny stood looking up into the open passenger door of the Silverado. 

“Stiffer than you thought?” Steve asked, taking the extra bag from his hand.

Danny narrowed his eyes at him.

Replaying his own words in his head, Steve grinned. If Danny’s mind was already in the gutter, Steve wouldn’t mind keeping it there. “What?”

Danny shook his head.

Steve braced Danny’s elbow and Danny took the hint and the help and climbed in. Steve set the ice down directly on Danny’s crotch before he slammed the truck door shut on Danny’s shout.

Smirking under Danny’s glare, Steve drove them the short distance to the cabin, wondering if the next few minutes would finally tip them over the edge into being. Even now, he still wasn’t entirely certain if Danny was on the same page or just invested so deep in their friendship that he let Steve’s side comments, lingering looks, and physical manhandling go unchallenged.

He parked and put the truck into gear before actually turning his full attention to Danny once again. Danny looked back, his expression unusually contemplative. “So,” he ventured. “You and Muke.”

Despite his hope, Steve’s breath caught. He nodded. 

“You and Freddy?”

Steve swallowed and nodded again.

Danny looked down at the bag of ice on his knee. After a long minute, Steve understood he wasn’t going to say anything else. Tamping down his disappointment, he got out of the truck and went around to open Danny’s door. Halfway around, he couldn’t. Just couldn’t. He stopped and closed his eyes to pull himself together. Biting his lip, he took a big breath and blew it out. Armored up again, he continued on.

When he pulled the door open, Danny handed him the extra bag and then swung his legs out. Watching Danny’s feet, Steve reached out to steady Danny’s hip as he slid out, surprised when Danny placed both his hands on his shoulders as he landed on one foot. 

Their eyes met. 

“You and me,” Danny said.

Steve’s heart stopped. “Yeah,” he croaked when Danny said nothing more. “If you want me.”

Danny closed the inch between them and kissed him. Steve opened his mouth and Danny surged in, filling up all Steve’s empty places at once, until he was shaking with need. Danny broke the kiss, his hands on Steve’s face. He was pressed back against the truck seat, bearing most of their weight. “I’m going to fall,” he whispered.

Steve straightened, pulling Danny upright with him, against him. “I already have,” he said without thinking.

Danny grinned at him. “I guess I knew that when you said you knew there was a hot tub, but you didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

“Do I need one?”

“No,” Danny laughed. “I don’t think we’re going to need anything we brought until we have to leave.”

Steve glanced down at Danny’s iced knee, his balancing act on one foot, and made a tactical decision for expediency’s sake. He bent at the waist and hoisted Danny over his shoulder even as Danny started yelling. He patted Danny’s ass to calm him as he hauled him to the cottage door. “You can thank me later.”


End file.
